The Right Ski

The Right Ski

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There are many different brands of skis out on the market right now not including the probable hundreds of handmade skis made in some dudes garage in Edmonton or the Colorado mountains. So of course, out there in the many thousands of models skis there will be one pair for you, one that will be perfect for your most ridden ski hill as well as your skiing level. To get this out of the way for those who need a more specialized ski or instance racers, ski tourers and those who only ski the park some of this may apply to you and some will not, just so you know.

So all those skis, there’s narrow ones which are killer on hard snow, so all the groomers and not to many more places which at resorts like Nakiska and Norquay are perfect for bombing the fresh corduroy. Skis like Rossignol Pursuit 200, Volkl RTM 76, Flair 73 and the Flair 76 and the Dynastar Speed Zone and Intense skis which are all super easy skiing and for a less experienced skier with minimal metal in the ski to keep the weight and stiffness down as well as having a nice hour glass shaped side cut giving them a nice bit of edge hold as well and a nice quick turning radius and all of that makes it so you Ski them not the other way around.

For those more advanced skiers who want the fastest and best skis to cut through even the hardest of ice, something like the Fischer Curv, Volkl RTM 81 and Head i Rally and Prestige which are higher in price point but for those who can ski and ski well, you will undoubtedly enjoy these. All those skis are right around the 70-80mm underfoot width which works crazy good on hard pack and groomers without too much of a speed limit and super easy edge transition as well as little rocker and flat tails to make turning quick response and snappy.

Though if you’re looking for a little more all mountain ski you might want to go for something a little wider with a little more rocker, skis like the Head Instinct and Joy series and the lower end Pro MTN skis from Fischer all of which are a relatively low price point while get a little wider and with a little more rocker in the tips and sharing many similar camber profiles and side cut shapes as with the lower end carving skis but with more all mountain widths and rocker.

When again for a higher price point and some stronger skis there’s those like the Dynastar Legends which have quite an early rise tip lending them to skiing through softer snow than something like the Rossignol’s Experience skis which are more suited to harder packed terrain opposed to a more off piste ride. Or something in between the two like Salomon’s XDR skis which share similarities with both those skis in the width department but with a rocker profile in between the two.

So up until this point all the skis spoken about have been ones that bindings are included in the price. So still in that 80-90mm width range and all mountain capable there’s the Nordica Navigator 85 are a super easy ski made for that intermediate/advanced skier that skis everywhere but doesn’t find powder enough to warrant getting a wider ski, as well as Fischer Pro MTN 86 and 95 Ti for a little more advanced skier or for those looking for lots of edge grip with a ski with a little more width and all mountain capability

For those looking to be in deeper snow as much as they can, but usually end up in the moguls or on hard snow, there will be the skis in the 90-105 width range where though mostly all mountain they’ll be more geared towards softer snow skiing; though that doesn’t mean they won’t preform on groomers but they just won’t be as easy to ski of the groomer side of things. Skis like the Salomon QST line that start at an 85mm and go all the way to a 118mm waist, though starting at the 106 the rocker and camber profile changes to one more suited to deeper snow with an earlier rocker in the tip and more rocker in the tails. These skis all preform quite well on hard snow holding up to almost everything you throw at them. Another set of skis new to our store this year would be the Volkl Kendo and Mantra where the side cuts are relatively similar but the Kendo has camber and only one sheet of Titanal while the Mantra is full rocker making it ski more surf like in soft snow and with two full sheets of Titanal making it a bit of a stiffer beast then it’s narrower brother.

But for those whom are frequenting the interior BC resorts, who are always on the lookout for a deep pow day and will have more than one Ski for all the conditions, a ‘quiver’ of skis if you will. You’re looking for that 110mm and up Ski that will lap up the POW even more than any other ski and still be able to make it down the groomers to the next patch of POW. Skis like the DPS Wailer 112 which comes in three different constructions the alchemist which is for those who want a light and aggressive bomber skis for almost any condition, the Foundation for those who like the light idea but don’t have $1399 to blow on skis or want something a little more forgiving or the Tour1 for those who want an awesome super light Ski that can in fact bomb the downhills. Or another light and burly POW Ski in the Scott Scrapper 115 and this ones just an incredibly made Ski that can hold up to anything you throw at it.

So that’s just a general guide so if you really want a QST 118 you can get one but it may not match where and how you like to Ski. There will be skis that are more specialized towards what terrain you Ski and this is just an idea we have probably double or three times the amount of skis on our wall there will be something for you, something that you will love and what will love you back.